Having gone to the Christmas market in Harrogate less than a handful of times over the past few years, I thought it only best to take time out of my forever busy life to head on down and see what it had to offer.
I didn’t head there last year but did the year before. I thought it was OK. A bit cold, damp and hellishly busy, but I suppose if you head to any Christmas market you need to expect this! The 2017 one was no different.
There were plenty of food stalls on offer; I think you had everything from pizzas cooked in a proper pizza oven to burgers and hot dogs. They even had a churros stand! If you’re a foodie like I am, it was food heaven. The sheer masses of food on offer made up for the fact that you couldn’t move from stall to stall with great ease.
Now for me, one thing that the organisers should do is potentially move the site. It is on one of the smallest sections of the Harrogate Stray that I think they could put it on! It would be better suited where we held the Tour de France & Tour de Yorkshire do’s. But hey ho, maybe next year.
My highlight of the evening (bar the burger that I had which was to die for!) was definitely discovering Harrogate Tipple, a local company who produce Gin and Rum. Now not only is their feature character Donnie the Otter the cutest thing ever, their gin is divine! Steve & Sally released their first batch of Gin and Rum at Harrogate’s own Harlow Carr on 1st October 2016 and have gone from strength to strength; they have now relocated to the Ripley Castle Estate. RHS Harlow Carr provides some of the botanicals for their Premium Harrogate Gin, the wildflower honey in the Premium Harrogate Rum comes from a local company and (keeping it local still), Harrogate Spring Water is the only water they use to distill their drinks.
If you can get your hands on a bottle, I would highly recommend it! They are only £30.00 each. After trying some and buying one of their tiny tipples at the Christmas market, it’s safe to say it’s one of my firm favourites.
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